Three-dimensional polymer-derived ceramic/graphene paper as a Li-ion battery and supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

We study the synthesis and electrochemical performance of molecular precursor-derived ceramic (PDC)/carbon nanotube-embedded graphene self-supporting composite papers as Li-ion battery and supercapacitor electrodes. The composite papers are prepared using vacuum filtration of PDC-graphene oxide (GO) dispersion, followed by thermal reduction at 500 °C. Tested as a Li-ion battery electrode, the composite papers deliver a reversible capacity as high as 300 mA h g⁻¹ (normalized with respect to total mass of the electrode) with negligible capacity loss after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. Boron-doped silicon carbon nitride (Si(B)CN) outperforms its undoped counterpart (SiCN) in terms of rate capability, cyclic stability, and coulombic efficiency. Among the PDC materials analyzed, Si(B)CN–CNT–rGO demonstrates the lowest ohmic resistance and highest specific capacitance of approximately 269.52 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 5 A g⁻¹, making it a promising electrode material for electrochemical energy storage applications.